


Hackle Dialogue Prompt Ficlets

by Emiline



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon, F/F, Hackle, Pre-Canon, Some Humor, Some angst, also pre-Hackle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 17:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emiline/pseuds/Emiline
Summary: Prompt fills from assorted dialogue prompts for Hackle, originally posted on tumblr. Ratings range from G-T. Chapter titles indicate the prompt and additional characters. Spoilers, Rating and additional info in the notes for each chapter.Contains fics for the following prompts: "We go on three", "If I could just get you to understand...", "That stuff can't be good for you", "When you're happy, I'm happy, and "Your eyes are red...were you crying?"





	1. "We go on three..." Dimity, Gwen, Algeron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For cassiopeisara.
> 
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Spoilers:** through episode 1 of season 2.  
>  **Additional Characters:** Miss Bat, Mr. Rowan-Webb, Miss Drill  
>  **Additional Notes:** Characters in peril, but it all comes out alright in the end

“Are you sure about this, Ada?”

“No,” Ada’s voice shook slightly. “But I must try. I can’t be sure the spell will work properly inside the photo as it did on the east wing, but Agatha is running out of time. She’s still my sister, Hecate, and I won’t let this happen to her, not even when it’s partially of her own making.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“No! It’s too dangerous, and I need you here.”

“I won’t let you go alone, not this time.”

“Hecate, please don’t do this.”

Hecate swallowed. “You stand a much better chance of success if I come with than if you go it alone. If you won’t—” her voice caught, “If you will not permit me to come because I care about you, will you permit me to come because it will increase the chances of Agatha’s survival?”

“Oh my dear,” Ada took Hecate’s hands in her own. “That’s not what I meant at all.”

“Then let me help, Ada. Please.”

“Alright then.” Ada made a gesture and an antique stopwatch appeared in the air near the photo of Agatha and Miss Gullet. “We go on three...”

As the hand of the stopwatch slid closer to zero, the glass in front of the photo began to undulate. Ada let go of Hecate’s left hand and laced the fingers of her left through Hecate’s right.

“Seven, six, five, four…”

Together, they reached out with their free hands and touched the glass.

There was an unpleasant sensation of being pulled in all directions at once, and then they fell in a tangled heap on the grass.

“Are you alright, Hecate?” Ada asked, pushing her glasses back into place as they disentangled their limbs.

“Yes, I—“ Hecate let out a yelp as she toppled over.

“Hecate!”

Hecate waved her away, cheeks flushing. “Stupid of me,” she muttered, casting a spell in the direction of her feet, and Ada saw a new heel attaching itself to Hecate’s shoe. “There, that’s better.”

“Well,” Ada laughed in relief, “If a broken heel is the worst damage we incurred, I’d say we got off lightly.”

“We need to cast protection spells around Agatha and Miss Gullet, first of all,” Ada said, “or we might erase them by accident. I’ll do that if you can start the preparations for the bleaching spell.”

Xxxx

“It’s ready, Ada.”

“I really hope this works.”

The air crackled around them as they began drawing the magic into the containment area. Then there was a loud ripping noise.

“That can’t be good,” Hecate remarked grimly.

“Just a bit more…”Ada wiped the sweat from her eyes.

With an effort, they drove the rest of the magic into the containment area and sealed it off.

“We should go,” Hecate said, panting. “We cannot have much time left. Are you alright, Ada? You look a bit peculiar.”

“I’ll be fine, I think. You might lend me your arm though. I’m just a bit faint from the heat, I think.”

“Of course,” Hecate nodded. “What’s wrong?” she added in alarm, as Ada twitched.

“Something’s pulling me,” she gasped. “Pulling at my magic.”

“The dissolution spell?”

“No…But I think we should leave, right now.”

“You won’t get any argument from me.”

The stopwatch appeared again and Hecate noted with concern that the hand, though continuing towards zero, was shuddering along its path.

“By this time and by this hour  
Let us out along with our power”

Nothing happened.

“By this time and by this hour  
Let us out, release our power!”

This time Hecate could feel them being yanked through, and they landed hard on what she really hoped was the floor of Ada’s office.

“HB! Ada! You took ten years off our lives.”

“Miss Drill,” Hecate said into the floor, “there is really no need to be so dramatic.”

“You gave us quite a turn,” Algernon added.

“Young lady,” Gwen began in an affronted tone, “I expected better from you. And from you too, Ada. Honestly, you’re as bad as the children. Don’t you ever run off like that again without at least telling us what dangerous stunt you’re trying to pull.”

“We’re quite all right, as you can see,” Ada soothed, as Hecate helped her to her feet.

Gwen shot her a disapproving look. 

“Gwen, please. Can we discuss this later?”

“Very well. Algie?” The two of them walked out, Gwen muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “young people these days.”

Dimity opened her mouth, closed it, and sighed. 

“Look, I’ve got to get back to my class, and I’m not going to lecture you because Gwen already did that and I don’t have time. But look – we all care about you too. And if you’re going to both disappear at once to do something mysterious and potentially dangerous, you might at least leave us a note.”

With visible effort she cracked a small smile.

“If there’s a chance I’m going to suddenly end up being headmistress, I’d like a little advance warning, okay?”  
When she had transferred out Hecate turned to Ada. “Did we get all of it out?”

Ada waved her hands in front of the photo.

“Yes,” she sighed with relief, “we did.”


	2. "If I could just get you to understand...", Great Wizard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anon
> 
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Spoilers:** Miss Cackle's Birthday (Season 2). This is an AU ending to that episode.  
>  **Additional Characters:** The Great Wizard

“If I could just get you to understand, Your Greatness, Ada Cackle has—”

“Miss Hardbroom, I am well aware of your feelings regarding Ada Cackle.”

Hecate froze. “Your Greatness?”

The wizard sighed. “I could hardly forget my visits to Cackle’s last year, Miss Hardbroom. Your words and your actions spoke eloquently to the value you place on Ada’s presence at the school. But I am afraid that the matter is far more serious this time and I cannot make a decision based solely on your and your colleagues’ opinion. This is no anonymous letter. These are serious allegations, made by concerned parents of children who attend this school. The Council has called a hearing, and I could not undo that even if I wanted to. We must abide by the rules that govern us. Surely you of all people can appreciate that, Miss Hardbroom.”

“Of-of course Your Greatness.”

“Well then.” He gave her a brief nod. “Carry on,” and the Great Wizard vanished.

Hecate took several slow, deep breaths, and attempted to suppress the urge to strangle the man.

She transferred back to the headmistress’ corridor and knocked softly on Ada’s door. 

“Ada?” she called, when there was no response.

She tried the door, which clicked open. Ada stood with her back to the door, shoulders shaking. Hecate closed the door behind her, walked over, and placed a tentative hand on Ada’s shoulder.

“If I’d only answered even one of Ursula’s messages…” Ada whispered angrily, swiping at her eyes with the back of one hand.

“Ada, please, don’t do this to yourself.”

“Am I a liability to this school, Hecate?”

“No, absolutely not. Never. Ada, please, don’t lose heart. You’ll get through this. We’ll get through this. You belong here, Ada. Don’t doubt that.”

“I had such a lovely time at the show. The girls are—“ her breath caught. “We have such wonderful girls. Oh, Hecate,” her face crumpled.

Hecate wrapped her arms somewhat stiffly around Ada, who clung to her and shook silently. Hecate ran her hand down Ada’s back, over and over. The shaking subsided after a time and Ada raised her face to Hecate’s. 

“I’m afraid I may have rather ruined the front of your dress.”

“I think,” Hecate smiled at her, “that as am a witch I can come up with a solution for that.”

Ada chuckled. “Thank you, Hecate.” She squeezed Hecate’s arm and stepped back just a fraction. “Well,” she continued, in a too-bright voice. “Big day tomorrow. It’s been a—it’s been a very long day, and I think I had better try to get some rest.”

“Ada…”

“Goodnight, Hecate,” Ada said ever so gently.

The sudden lump in Hecate’s throat made it difficult to speak. “Goodnight, Ada,” she whispered.


	3. "That stuff can't be good for you!", Trio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anon
> 
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Spoilers:** None  
>  **Additional Characters:** Mildred Hubble, Maud Spellbody, Enid Nightshade

Mildred eyed the jars on Miss Hardbroom’s desk dubiously. “That stuff can’t be good for you!” 

“It is not,” Miss Hardbroom said from behind them and Mildred yelped. “However,” Miss Hardbroom continued, “as those ingredients are for a size-changing potion only for inanimate objects, I trust that the toxicity will not be a problem. Will it?”

“No, Miss Hardbroom,” the class chorused.

“Good. Now, who would like to tell me why we are making this particular potion today?”

xxxx

Miss Cackle slipped into the potions lab halfway through the class.

“Miss Hardbroom? May I have a moment of your time?”

“Girls, if any one of you even thinks about stepping away from your cauldrons while I confer with Miss Cackle, I will know, and that person will have detention for the rest of the week.”

“Sheesh,” Enid breathed. “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did she?”

“Enid!” Maud hissed, her eyes darting to the two teachers on the far side of the classroom. “What if she’d heard you?”

“Now we have to stir the potion continuously for ten minutes?” Mildred asked in dismay.

“Let’s take turns,” Enid suggested. “You go first, then me, then Maud.”

“Alright. Are you guys timing this?”

“Yup.”

Mildred let her gaze drift around the lab as she stirred. Miss Hardbroom and Miss Cackle were still discussing whatever it was, though Mildred couldn’t actually hear what they were saying, as they were speaking in low voices, very close to one another, and Miss Cackle’s hand on Miss Hardbroom’s arm.

Miss Cackle finished saying something to Miss Hardbroom, and then smiled. Miss Hardbroom stood there very stiffly, but after a moment she seemed to relax, and though it was a little difficult to see her face Mildred could have sworn that Miss Hardbroom’s mouth eased into a small smile.  
Mildred was so astonished by this turn of events that she nearly missed the next and even more surprising thing. Miss Cackle stepped back and turned to leave, but rather than breaking contact with Miss Hardbroom she slid her hand down Miss Hardbroom’s arm, and for just the briefest moment squeezed Miss Hardbroom’s hand. 

“Did you see that?” Mildred demanded.

“See what?” Enid and Maud looked up from their desks.

“Nothing, I just thought I saw…” she frowned.

“Millie, the potion!” Maud cried, snatching the spoon from her.

“Mildred Hubble, what have you done?”


	4. "If you're happy, I'm happy", Alma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For agapi42
> 
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Spoilers:** None  
>  Pre-Hackle, Pre-Canon  
>  **Additional Characters:** Alma Cackle

“Mother,” Ada frowned as she and Alma went over supply lists for the next couple of weeks, “what happened to those mid-term evaluations of the first-years that are supposed to go out on Monday?”

“Oh those? Hecate did them, dear.”

“She did?” Ada asked, stupefied. “Why?”

“We-ell,” Alma dragged the word out with a twinkle in her eye, “I dare say you should ask her, but she came by last week to ask me if there was anything she could do to help you.”

“Why didn’t she ask me herself?”

“She seemed very concerned about how stressed you were. Though she was too polite to say it I rather suspect that she thought at first that I had assigned you an unreasonable amount of work.”

Ada’s head spun. It was hard to square this description of Hecate with the witch she had known and worked with these past several years.

“Anyway, she did a very good job on them and sent them out to the parents yesterday.”

“I must thank her then,” Ada said.

“Yes, why don’t you go do that? I’ll finish these here.”

Ada found Hecate in the potions lab, looking over her lesson plans for the following week.

“Ada,” Hecate said by way of greeting, setting down her pen. “What can I do for you?”

“You’ve already done it, apparently,” Ada replied. “Thank you. I understand you finished the first years’ evaluations for me.”

“Ah, that,” Hecate looked slightly embarrassed.

“It was very nice of you – I remembered them this afternoon and thought I should have to do it over the weekend. So thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.”

“May I ask,” Ada hesitated, but could find no other way to put what she wanted to ask, “Do I frighten you?”

“What? No,” Hecate replied, confusion evident in her features. “Why do you ask?”

“Just that – why did you approach my mother, instead of me?”

Hecate lowered her eyes to her desk. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t want to add to your burdens. And I, well I was not sure if you would want my help. I know that it is rather…stupid. If you had not wanted my help my going behind your back would not have made things better. And I knew that you would find out eventually but I thought perhaps I could do something for you that would make things a little better and—you’ve been working so very hard, I’ve been…worried about you. I was afraid that if I asked you, you would say no, you had it all in hand. Not that you’re incapable,” she babbled on, “you’re an excellent witch and I…” she trailed off. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment, “I don’t know where that all came from.” 

“No,” Ada demurred, slightly stunned by Hecate’s unexpected loquaciousness, “it’s quite alright. I am very grateful you completed those reviews for me.”

Hecate smoothed the papers nervously. “I thought if I could make your day a little brighter, it would be worth it.” She seemed to steel herself and then raised her gaze to Ada’s. “When you’re happy, I’m happy,” she said shyly.

“I—thank you, Hecate,” Ada responded, touched. 

xxx

A week later, entering the potions lab early in the morning, Hecate saw two small boxes, each tied with a colorful ribbon, sitting on her desk. There was a small piece of parchment beside them that read:

_Hecate,_

_One good turn deserves another._

_Affectionately,  
Ada_

She opened the packages, to discover an intriguing-sounding tea blend in one, and a few potions ingredients in the other that she hadn’t known Ada knew she was looking for.

She smiled, transferring the tea to her rooms, and putting the ingredients carefully away on the shelves.


	5. "Your eyes are red...were you crying?", OC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anon
> 
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Spoilers:** None  
> Pre-Hackle, Pre-Canon  
>  **Additional Characters:** Two OC students, briefly.

“ _Evangeline Elmwood, Maureen Jewelstone_ you will accompany me to Miss Cackle’s office this instant and she will decide on a suitable punishment for this…fiasco.”

“But Miss Hardbroom it was—”

“Miss Elmwood you and Miss Jewelstone have already caused enough trouble for today. Do not add to it.”

Hecate turned back to the class. “Miss Marbeline I am leaving you in charge until Miss Bat arrives to oversee the rest of class. If you all do not listen to either Miss Marbeline or Miss Bat, I _will_ know, and there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Miss Hardbroom.”

With a twitch of her fingers Hecate, Evangeline, and Maureen materialized in Ada’s office.

“Miss Cackle,” Hecate began, “these two—” and she stopped abruptly.

Ada was clutching a letter in one hand, and Hecate was quite sure, now that she thought about it that Ada had been sniffling when they came in.

“Miss Cackle,” Maureen broke in to the silence, “your eyes are red…were you crying just now?” she finished uncertainly.

“Girls,” Hecate said briskly before Ada could say anything, “you will go to your rooms and think about what you have done until it is time for your next class. Miss Cackle and I will deal with your punishment later.”

She transferred them back to their rooms.

“Ada, what is wrong?” she asked, concern softening her features. “Have you had bad news?”

Ada looked down involuntarily at the letter, and her eyes welled with tears.

“Ada,” Hecate repeated, sitting down in the chair across the desk from her. “What is it?”

“She-“Ada stopped and managed a weak smile. “It serves me right for looking at personal mail during the school day. But it has not been the easiest of weeks and when I saw that Florence had written to me—“

Hecate felt her heart drop into stomach.

“Well,” Ada continued, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes, belying her brave front, “she might at least have had the courtesy to tell me in person that she didn’t want to see me anymore.” She crumpled the letter into a ball in her fist. “She said—well it doesn’t matter what she said.”

“I am so sorry, Ada.”

“It’s not you who should be sorry, it’s her,” Ada spit back. “Oh Hecate, now I am sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Hecate shook her head. “It is already forgotten,” she promised.

“Three years, and to be thrown away, just like that.” She spread her arms out on the desk, palms up, open, in a gesture of helplessness. The crumpled letter sat lightly in one palm.

Hecate reached across and gently slid a hand into Ada’s free one. 

“You are worth far more than that,” Hecate said quietly.

Ada squeezed Hecate’s hand. “Thank you.” She released it and Hecate drew her hand back, twisting her fingers together in her lap.

“Shall we light it on fire?” Hecate asked. “The letter, I mean.”

“Tempting.” Ada’s mouth twitched. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet. But I promise I won’t brood over it too long.”

“I am not very good with-that is,” Hecate faltered and looked down at her lap. She squared her shoulders and looked back at Ada. “I hope you know that I am always available if you need someone to-to listen.”

“I do know it Hecate, and I am more grateful than I can say.”

The clock chimed the hour.

“I am keeping you from your next class. Oh, what of Miss Elmwood and Miss Jewelstone?”

“We need not consider them right at this moment. The damage has already been done and attended to. I will bring them back at the end of the day and they can explain to you what they have done, if that will be convenient for you.”

“Yes, that will be fine.” 

It was a clear dismissal but Hecate hesitated.  
“I’ll manage, Hecate,” Ada reassured her. “No excessive brooding. You have my word.”

Hecate nodded and transferred out.


End file.
